Dupage Policy Journal

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) is taking Democrats' late push demanding that Gov. J.B. Pritzker give an accounting of his latest COVID-19 restrictions with a grain of salt.

“They should have protected their power to legislate back in March, or in May when we were last in Springfield,” Mazzochi told the DuPage Policy Journal. “They ducked their own accountability and responsibility to predictable results.”

It all leaves Mazzochi unsure about what anyone can expect from Democrats now demanding the governor hold public hearings to justify his latest mandates.

“I won’t think they’re sincere unless they are pressuring (House) Speaker (Michael Madigan) to have us back into session to deal with this,” Mazzochi added.

Citing rising infection rates, Pritzker recently moved to reenact restrictions that include a ban on indoor dining at restaurants and bars in at least 24 counties, immediately raising the ire of many small business owners still reeling from the governor’s initial shutdown orders.

Mazzochi has long been one of the most vocal critics in Springfield of the way the governor has handled the lingering pandemic, including accusing him of having unnecessarily wrecked the economy.

“Once again, his actions on the COVID-19 front show he is perfectly happy to bypass the people on issues of critical importance to everyone and certainly within my district,” she said soon after Pritzker put the finishing touches on his latest shutdown order. “The revolt against this approach continues to grow every day.”

Mazzochi has reserved almost as much blame for Democratic lawmakers as she has the governor.

“Too many of them have been willing to cede their public policymaking roles because they didn’t want to have to make hard decisions,” she said. “That’s precisely why this state is in such a mess to begin with.”